This is it. We will be basing the rest of our efforts in getting Justice 4 Cecil in how well we as a community can rally together. It’s time to get the Lion listed as endangered, enact Cecil’s Law and defeat the Laws that help create exceptions for Wealthy Trophy Hunters.

We’ve asked a legal consultant to look things over to help us see clearly through the language of this CITES proposal and the SHARE ACT and the BIPARTISAN SPORTSMAN ACT.

We were aware that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Direction of Dan Ashe had been doing all it could NOT TO LIST THE LION AS ENDANGERED. With the new CITES proposal on the table suggesting the lion be listed as endangered, we knew Dan Ashe had a trick up his sleeve to once again favor Wealthy Trophy Hunters over Honest hard working Americans. Dan Ashe’s irresponsible behavior favoring Trophy Hunters has landed him a White House Petition asking for his removal as Director of USFWS.

We seem to be correct. This time around President Obama has expressed disagreement with many parts of these ACTs but has promised not to veto them. America is about to take a huge step backwards in Wildlife Conservation and Habitat preservation at home and abroad.

This is a summary of the impact if we don’tact:

Mandate a free-for-all of trappers/hunters/fishermen/recreational shooters on 700 million acres of National Forests and Bureau of Land Management land (BLM) – federal public land that belongs to YOU. Trapping is implicit and defined as a subtype of hunting and as such, trapping is green-lighted without being mentioned again. This is analogous to the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 by Don Young (R-AK), which turned National Wildlife Refuges System from sanctuaries into playgrounds for hunters, anglers, and trappers.

Make hunting, fishing, and trapping a “priority public use” of federal lands.National Forests and BLM land are hunted, trapped, and fished already. Many have public shooting ranges. The bills would go even further by placing one class of visitors above the majority of recreationists on federal public lands who don’t hunt, trap, or fish. The bills would be a menace to public safety and interfere with other visitors’ quiet, peaceful enjoyment of nature.

Get hunters into National Parks through a backdoor. While hunting is prohibited in National Parks, “skilled volunteers” (read: hunters) would be allowed in the killing (culling) of wildlife populations on federal lands.

Allow polar bear “trophies” from Canada be imported into the US. That would stimulate hunting of this imperiled species.

Bar the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating lead in ammunition and fishing sinkers. Lead is a neurotoxin which we’ve eliminated from gasoline, paint, and toys. But 3,000 tons of lead shot and bullets per year are fired into the wild and 4,000 tons per year from fishing tackle is lost in ponds and streams. Many birds of prey ingest spent lead fragments when feeding on animals that were shot and are themselves killed.

The endangered Species Act of 1973 will be gutted favoring Wealthy Big Game Trophy Hunters. Endangered and threatened animals like Lions, Elephants, Rhinos, etc.. would continue to be hunted as exceptions will be available for Wealthy Trophy Hunters.

This seems to be the proper course of action if we want to get the Lion listed as endangered and then be able to protect animals listed on the endangered species list.

1. Make sure the Lion and other animals are listed as endangered (CITES PROPOSAL)

More than ever action is going to speak louder than words. WE NEED TO ACT BY October 26th, 2015. The USFWS will only accept comments via the comment button or in writing by mail (USPS) or hand delivered.

There’s a comment button. Please leave a comment stating how you want Animals like all the Lions, Elephants and Rhinoceros to be listed as endangered and fully protected with no exceptions allowed for Wealthy Trophy Hunters.

In addition to the online comment, please write a letter to the US Fish and Wildlife Service stating your opinion and demanding that once again that all the Lions, Elephants and Rhinoceros be listed as endangered and fully protected with no exceptions allowed for Wealthy Trophy Hunters.

Do not copy the same comments or letter as someone else as they will end up not counting as more than one.

This is the only valid way to get your letter to USFWS – U.S. mail or hand-delivery:

Please contact you Federal Legislators and let them know you are in Favor of Cecil’s ACT as you want to protect Wildlife and Habitat from Trophy Hunters. It’s always better to back up an email with a written letter. You can also call them by phone and express your feelings. It’s important to remain polite to be heard. Some of the people who will take your call will present you with bogus excuses in favor of Trophy Hunting in an attempt to provoke you.

3. Defeat the SHARE ACT and BIPARTISAN SPORTSMAN ACT in order not to degrade the current protection of endangered animals and wildlife in general. Defeating these two ACTs will ensure no additional exceptions are made for Trophy Hunters.

Year after year, SCI – Safari Club International actively lobbies our government to get these two pieces of Legislation in place. This time they may succeed. It is important to act now to save the Lion and other endangered Species.

Senator Dan Sullivan, a big supporter of Trophy Hunters likes to confuse the issue by mixing in our second amendment rights and conservation into this debate. He’s like other Senators have been lobbied very hard by SCI – Safari Club International and they are promising to deliver unles we Act now.